Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a lovely week so far, filled with books and love. Today was supposed to be bookish tag day, but my blogging schedule is going to be all over the place soon enough anyway and…what do you know, I kind of got a peak of inspiration and an urge to RANT about this, so…here goes the blogging streak again with….
This feature should be renamed and simply be called “where Marie freaks out about blogging”. Which I do 24/7 #sorrynotsorry.
Lately, some things have been bothering me. Not quite bothering me, really, but made me wonder about book blogging, book bloggers, what we are, how we appear to be and what we should be. Really, thinking now as I write this, Kat’s blog post on her blogging identity really made me think about book blogging in a more general way so, thank you, Kat, for being a source of inspiration to my ranting.
When we all start blogging, we have tons of expectations, of blogging sunshines, rainbows, tons of books falling from the skies and more. But there’s something else as well. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the term “book blogger”, I’m thinking about what actually MAKES a book blogger. Like any kind of job – sorry for the comparison but you’ll admit blogging is kind of a job we love -, being a book blogger is an actual title, something you can label and DEFINE.
Really? Can you fit us all book bloggers in a box ? Better be a big one and filled with books.
BEING a book blogger certainly is SOMETHING. It defines us all, yet sometimes, thinking about my own blog, about other blogs I stumble upon, about blogging in general, comes one question. What makes a REAL, GENUINE BOOK BLOGGER? What actually makes you go on a blog and think “oh, this is a book blogger”? What makes you feel like you are yourself a book blogger? ARE WE ALL FITTING IN A BOX – because we are A LOT OF PEOPLE??
Before I started blogging, and the first couple of months into blogging, I thought a book blogger would be fitting in a box and that I had to do everything on the list to be accepted into the big book blogger gang. I thought there was a massive book blogger checklist and if I didn’t follow it, everything would be ruined.
Basically, here’s what I thought book bloggers HAD to do.
- Book bloggers have to scream about books non-stop. Even when their throat is dry and they are sick and reading slumps are taking over their love for books for a second.
- Book bloggers should be reading A LOT. Like, almost all the time. Also they should be fluent in hyped books.
- Book bloggers shall participate in readathons when they can because FUN and BOOKS.
- Book bloggers have to write book reviews. Book reviews are the heart and soul of book blogging and if you’re not writing too many reviews you’re not in.
- Book bloggers probably should get on Twitter because the community happens here (so does all of the drama but whatever, you have to be part of the drama too to be part of it)
- Book bloggers have to get ARCs to be genuine book bloggers. (gasps.)
- Book bloggers shouldn’t think about monetizing their blog because controversial and wrong and impossible.
I could probably write more and more about this topic but I’ll stop here and have a tiny, selfish recap.
Basically, here is what I do
I don’t scream my love for books 24/7, even if I do it a lot. I have other passions and so do other book bloggers, they even mention them on their blogs like the amazing Kat I talked about before ranting about her TV shows. I read a lot but probably not enough. I haven’t read many hyped books. Readathons: never tried. I DO write book reviews but they are not my most popular posts or the most written ones. I probably write about book blogging more #awkward. I AM on twitter but I’m not that alive there because #scared but that’s another question. I don’t get physical ARCs. I always think about monetizing my blog.
Based on this, I am actually not a genuine book blogger. Also, I am too hard on myself about book blogging and basically everything. But that’s a whole other point.
But…are there REALLY book blogging rules?
As time went on, I kind of found out that these silly rules I made out for myself aren’t rules. They are more of a CODE? In that moment, we should all think of Captain Barbosa’s wise words.
What makes me a book blogger is that yes, I talk about books. I sometimes wander into traveling or writing or blogging or other things I enjoy. The fact that I am not doing what other bloggers do does not unvalidate me as a book blogger. I know book bloggers that almost don’t write book reviews on their blogs. Others don’t showcast their book hauls. Some are doing all of the memes in the world, others are not. But they talk about books. If books are the heart of our blogs, they don’t have to be our sole purpose. It’s never too late to branch out either or become lifestyle blogger.
It’s up to you to call yourself a book blogger, and up to you to decide whether or not you feel like a genuine book blogger. Obviously there is a bit of comparison to others, here, but there’s also your way of doing things. If you like and are talking about books for the most part on your blog, you are a valid book blogger. At least I think so.
Not one book blogger is fitting in a box because no box could have enough place for all our books, but most importantly because we are NOT going into a box. We’re all blogging differently and none of us has a label. I might be the crazy ranting about book blogging book blogger ; and I think I might be okay with it. Doesn’t mean I won’t ever branch out from that. Just means there are no labels on book bloggers and what matters is you and your content and your own voice that makes you genuine and real in everything you write.
Alright, I agree with you. That was quite a weird and ranty post. If you read all the way here, THANK YOU. Also, I’d love to know…
When you visit a blog, what makes you think “this is a book blogger” ? Do you look at the amount of book reviews or don’t you really care?
Did you also think that you had to do a certain type / amount of blog posts to be a book blogger, or was that just me?
What is your definition of a book blogger? I’d love to know your thoughts about the topic in comments!
Great posts. I think if you are a book blogger that you still should blog misc stuff to keep things interesting on your site. Otherwise it becomes boring. You need to engage with others and sharing things in your life and books mixed together helps to bring excitement to your blog. Keep things interesting. 🙂
Aww thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this, Patty! Changing things up once in a while does keep things interesting, that’s for sure 😀
Honestly, I never followed any book blogs before I started my own. I just, someday, got it in my head that I wanted to do more than “just” read books. And I started a blog to post all my thoughts on.
Maybe it was naive of me, but I was kind of surprised to notice how many people actually blog about books? [Yup, naive, haha.] I immediately saw that everyone had a different way of handling their blog and maybe because I never had any expectations, pressures or examples before I started my own, I haven’t felt the need to “fit in” yet.
I just do my own thing, share it with people, love what I do and that makes a book blogger for me, honestly.
Just doing what you want to do with your blog – as long as there is some part dedicated to books, haha. Otherwise you’re a *input theme* blogger.
And me? I’m a book & munches blogger. Ha.
OH, Kathy, you weren’t the only one surprised! I remember starting my blog and finding out about SO many book bloggers…I was amazed and a bit shocked that there were just SO many bloggers out there.
Doing your own thing is the best to keep your blog interesting and to keep on loving it every single day, that’s for sure 😀
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this! <3
I love that no two book bloggers are the same and everyone has there own idea of what blogging is to them!
The one thing I wish I could get in to more is Twitter. I just can’t quite get the hang of it!
I really loved this post!
Same heree – it’s so great how there are SO many book bloggers, yet everyone is so different and unique 😀
Thank you! <3 <3
I think of a book blogger as a person who loves reading and sharing info about what they’ve read. I think that’s the only requirement. Of course, we all add other posts to our blogs. Some add writing tips and prompts, others recipes for smoothies. The other stuff matters too, like you said, the most popular posts are rarely book reviews.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this! Definitely: everyone makes bogging their own by adding their little twists and loves into their blog posts 😀 <3
I don’t think there are really “rules to being a book blogger”. Not everyone is all about the cover reveals, blog tours (I’m not into EITHER), reviews, ARC’s and more. Some people don’t like to review, some read at slower speeds, and some people can’t get their hands on ARCS. Does that make them less of a book blogger? Not to me. A book blogger (to me) is anyone who talks about books and has a passion for books. As we all know, blogging takes a ton of work – so anyone that can push through and continue is a real blogger ? hope my rambling makes sense lol
It does make TONS of sense – and I’m glad you are feeling the same way about this! I’m not into cover reveals and blog tours either, and everyone is blogging in a different way as long as there is the passion for books and all, that’s what matters and make someone a blogger 😀 Thank you! <3
I sometimes get a little doubtful about my blog because of the fact that I’m not doing what most ‘popular’ book bloggers are doing but then I don’t really care much because like you said there are no hard and fast rules about this. If you love books (the passion is necessary no?) and you blog about them in any way then I think you are a book blogger.
YES to this! I understand your doubts – I sometimes have them as well, but what matters most is the passion we put in all of our blog posts and that we love books and all 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment <3
Exactly. If you’re sincere about it, you enjoy it.
My pleasure hun. ?
Great post, Marie. Like you said, there are some things that people or bloggers may use to define book bloggers, but I don’t think they’re necessary. I totally agree with you – I think you’re a book blogger if YOU consider yourself to be a book blogger. Maybe that means you talk about books most of the time, but not all the time. Maybe it means giving recommendations or writing reviews. I’m a book blogger who also talks about hiking once in awhile. I think that still makes me a book blogger! I think blogs have maybe become a little less niche – we don’t feel like we can only talk about one thing. There are lots of blogs that I consider book blogs that also talk about tv shows, or movies, or their personal lives. We shouldn’t worry so much about labels!
Thank you so much, Angela! 🙂 I agree with you – I think that labels might be some things we fool ourselves with whenever we start, but we shouldn’t worry about them too much. We are all so different and have tons of interests too, we don’t have to limit ourselves to hyped books or recommendations or reviews. Thank you s omuch for your comment <3 <3 <3
I didn’t really have this idea. I guess I consider a book blogger someone who focuses most (but not necesserily all) of their content on books, bbut I try not to let that limit me. Shar and I are going to start another blog for non-bookish content, but that’s mostly because I think that maybe not everyone will be interested in the non-bookish content, which is fine. I started off blogging once a week, so I guess I basically had no idea. I try not to conform and just do what I enjoy. I guess I do like to see if people have book reviews, because to me that indicates that the person is thinking a lot about books–like if someone just does tags I’m not so into it. Anyway, I guess I don’t really subscribe to the idea of a ‘real’ blogger, because that’s silly. Thanks for posting this!
OH YOU ARE?? I want to know everything about it right now. what will you talk about? Will you give me the link so I can stalk you (in a very polite way)? 😀
I’m glad you find the idea a bit silly – to be honest, I don’t think that there are real or false book bloggers. If we are passionnate about books and focusing for the most part on them, I think we are book bloggers indeed 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts 😀
Yes I think we’ll Myron out on Virtually Read when it’s ready
Shar is doing the designing now.
Ohhh, well…I’ll be right here, waiting, being impatient to see it 😛
When I go searching for interesting book bloggers and I feel the excitement through my laptop about their love for books, I have to instantly follow. It feels like true passion. They aren’t there for anything, but to tell everyone else about books.
I don’t care about all the book reviews – I prefer diversity, let your mind escape onto your blog. In the beginning, I wrote and published 3 posts a day. I thought everyone had that dedication and I wanted to match then surpass that. Never again….never again. You aren’t alone with that.
I don’t really know what’s real or not. I can’t tell if every person behind the screen is genuine or not. I think real to me would mean a person that genuinely enjoys books, telling people about them, and wants to help how they see fit. They came in with no ill intentions, just to communicate with others about books.
Wow. 3 blog posts a DAY? HOW did you manage to do that? That’s quite incredible ahah.
I guess it’s always hard to see what’s real and not online, as always – but passion for books and everything really comes off in book bloggers’ reviews and blog posts, I know I find out so many bloggers with an incredible voice, one where you can feel the passion of it all. It is the best 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this! 🙂
I honestly don’t even know. I definitely think I burnt myself out quickly. You can tell some people are just as amazing online in real life. It makes all the difference to me, too. I always have to participate in discussions, especially when they come from rants!
OH yes, sometimes you can just FEEL it, this connection, this awesomeness, it is pretty great when this happens 😀 <3
When I started reading this post I was ready to get angry… and then I saw where you were going with it and it made me smile.
Like you, I thought I had to post multiple times a week and participate in all of these weekly things, “Top Ten Tuesday,” “Waiting on Wednesdays,” etc. But you really don’t. I’m just happy splashing around in my corner of the pond and writing book reviews.
I follow blogs that talk about books in almost any capacity, whether they post book reviews or not. I’m just happy to read about books and bookish things!
Great post! 🙂
OH no! Well I feel better knowing the blog post made you smile and not angry in the end – it was definitey not my intention to make anyone angry with that blog post! <3
I felt the same way about the weekly memes, and started doing them, then slowly gave up on them because they didn't make me feel happy anymore. I thought it wouldn't be okay but… It turned out okay and I'm glad 🙂 It's good to know we have our own rules to follow, as long as we share our passion for books, that's what matters and make me feel happy for sure 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3 <3
I usually think of a book blogger as someone who blogs about books, and that’s basically it! I definitely agree that when I joined the book blogging community, seeing all these other successful blogs heavily influenced me! It definitely wasn’t a bad thing since my website design and graphics and content got better (at least they did in my opinion ?), but I know it definitely can get someone down if they feel like they’re not doing something they feel like they should.
Like, I love writing discussions and it’s easier for me to come up with ideas because I’m always thinking, but I know there are other bloggers who feel anxious about it because they don’t know what to write about and the pressure of discussions being popular and most viewed doesn’t exactly help! But I’m hoping that no one feels like they have to do something to be a type of blogger!
I’m with you on that – I feel like the discussion trend is very big at the moment on blogs. I have started doing this – both blogging and bookish discussions for more than a year now and they are my favorite posts to write and the ones I love the most, but I know that some people are having a hard time with it. I agree with you that there shouldn’t be any kind of pressure to be like other bloggers or to try and look like them – after all, we should all do our own thing, and talk about books the way we love 😀
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
Love this post! I agree with you, as long as you are talking about books, that makes you a book blogger. And I love that book blogs are so diverse with how we all like to talk about books! Personally, I tend to only follow those that actually have reviews every so often – I seem to be in the minority here but they are actually my favorite posts to read!
Oh thank you so much! You’re so right with this – I love how different and unique everyone is with their way to approach books. That’s what makes the community so great 🙂
I feel like not many people are enjoying reviews, or at least mentioning that they are their favorite posts to read. I really enjoy reading reviews as well! 😀 <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3 <3
I think these are all things people WANT to do when they have a book blog but sometimes it’s so hard – life gets in the way! ‘Fluent in book hype’ xD Yes!
Haha, so many books and things to do when you’re a book blogger, and only so many hours in one day, right? 🙂 Oh, I’d love to know everything about the bookish hype and all, but…so many things happen. SO quickly. SO many books. It’s impossible to keep track ahah 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment, Melissa! 😀
Ahhh…my identity crisis! I thought I would do book blogging but there are just so many other things I enjoy blogging about! I post a lot of pictures from my local area, you know, to make my blog more personal 🙂 I enjoy reading, but if I’m interacting on blogs a lot, I don’t have as much time to read, less time for reviews…it’s a tough balance! And I also want to work on writing a novel!
I just do my best and hopefully people find what I do write interesting. I don’t really identify as a true blue book blogger, maybe I’m more of a blogger who loves books and writing and taking pictures 😉
Jo-Ann
It really is a tough balance! There are so many things we want to talk about, sometimes, it’s hard to narrow it down – but should we. That’ s the eternal question, ahah.
Also, blogging about different topics keep things interesting and, most importantly…as long as you love it and you’re not bored, I think that’s what matters too 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3 <3
This post totally made my day! Someone just asked me for advice on book blogging, and I thought – Am I a real book blogger? More of a writer/book leaning blogger?
I can’t stand writing just reviews, because it feels like I’m the millioneth person writing the same review. Instead, I try to throw in my personal application of books, blend in my own writing inspiration and just run with it. Book Blogger seems to be a super loose term for anyone who’s inspired to write through reading ALL THE TIME.
And I read every spare moment, so I’m labeling myself a book blogger 😉
Ohh thank you SO MUCH – this makes me so happy, really, I’m glad you enjoyed this <3
It is really great that you are doing your own thing, throwing your personal thoughts and ideas about writing and everything else in your blog. In a way, we're all just doing our own thing, after all, not one blogger is like another, which makes it GREAT 🙂
Thank you SO much once again for your sweet comment <3 <3
I tend to blog about books, politics, films, and anything that crosses my mind, because sometimes it’s just good to get it out there! Saying that, a good book blogger – to me – is someone who doesn’t let the reputation of a book cloud their judgement of it. F’rinstance, I can’t stand The Great Gatsby, despite the acclaim, but love Ulysses by Joyce, regardless of the acclaim. Saying that, also have a lot of time for James Herbert…
Oh that’s a good definition – it is important to give our honest opinions on books for sure 🙂 thank you for your comment! <3
I tend to just refer myself as a blogger more than anything. One thing I was very conscious of when choosing my site name was that I didn’t want it to feature “books” or “reading” in it because I felt like that would put me in that box and I wouldn’t have that freedom to deviate from it. Yes, most of my content is about books but, like you, I don’t read a lot of books and I don’t participate in readathons. I mostly follow blogs that focus on books but I also follow those that have a broader scope, ones that look at TV, films and lifestyle. I love writing book reviews but every now and then I will post a TV or film review. I don’t feel like we should be pressured to own up to a label. I’d rather have the freedom to do as I please with my little corner of the internet.
YES. I’m actually glad you said this, Lois….because sometimes I wonder. I love my blog’s name, yet there is “books” in it and sometimes I feel a bit awkward whenever I want to post something else because I labelled myself with this “books”, ahah.
You’re right – we shouldn’t feel pressure to do things one way or another, I mean, we’re all allowed to branch out a little bit 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this <3 <3
I think the only way a blog can be validated as a ‘book blog’ is that the blogger talks about books. There is no one single way to blog about books, no matter what one actually posts – as long as it includes books, it’s a book blog 🙂 There are quite a few ‘notions’ about what a book blog should be like, and the ratio of different types of posts on a book blog, but it’s no rule. It completely depends on individual preferences, I believe.
YES! I’m so glad you feel this way, Anushka 🙂 I agree with you, I think there is no right ratio to do things, like I thought there was at the beginning. We can post our own way, at our rhythm, with reviews, more discussions or more recommendations…as long as we love and share our passions about books, we are genuine book bloggers 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this <3 <3
I feel so humbled to have been the inspiration for this post and I am very glad you wrote it. I think we have this image in our head as to how things SHOULD be in instead of seeing how they actually are. Maybe we are making life more difficult for ourselves that way, but I think we can’t help but assume things before actually experiencing them. I am glad the conversation opens up to the fact that we aren’t all the same though and that each and everyone’s blogging experience is different. We are still all book bloggers somehow 😉 Amazing post, Marie!
Definitely. I know I’m making everything much, much harder on myself every single time, both in blogging and IRL because of these pictures I have in my head. I guess it’s bound to happen to anyone but we all should try and forget how things should be and just make things happen as we can and make our own very picture. I don’t know if that makes any sense, forgive me, I am tired ahah. Thank you so, so much, Kat! <3 <3 <3
It totally made sense, don’t even worry 😉
*cries* MARIEEEEEEEE NEVER STOP MAKING THESE WONDERFUL POSTS BECAUSE <3 <3 <3
When I first started blogging, I had trouble of what type of blogger I was. I've settled for a "bookish blogger" because while I talk about books, I also talk about other things a lot too. But I am COMPLETELY with you. I don't do a lot of the "expected book blogger" things. I barely post any book reviews on my blog, I read a lot but not… A LOT, I haven't gotten into ARCs (yet!), I think about monetizing my blog (because honestly what's wrong with wanting to make money on something you love to do???), and I'm not on Twitter or any social media. But I'm still a book(ish) blogger because I blog about books — I am COMPLETELY with you there.
I don't think there's ever a "true" type of blogger, whether it be in fashion or lifestyle or food or personal or travel or ANYTHING. There will always be variations and that's completely okay! That just means we all blog in a different way and it shows how unique the blogging community is. You don't ALWAYS have to blog in your "niche", and if you don't, it won't mean you're not any less of that type of blogger.
(Sorry for the long comment, but I FEEL you on this post! <3 )
MAY, my perfect lovely queen May, do not EVER apologize for your long comments, they are my favorites to read, ever, you’re so sweet <3 THANK YOU for taking the time to read my ramblings ahah <3
There's something I need to tell you: when I was writing this post and writing that there are book bloggers that aren't writing too many book reviews, I thought of you, ahah. You're not writing them but everything about your blog screams book blog because there is the passion for books and bookish discussions and everything else. Even if reviews aren't too present here, it doesn't make you any less of a book blogger <3
Thank you so, SO much for your comment <3 <3
AGHAGAG I’M LITERALLY CHOKING ON MY SMILE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HOW ARE YOU SO SWEET???
I can’t answer this comment fully because AGHAHGAG WHY ARE YOU SO SWEET. *CRIES*
BECAUSE YOUUU ARE THE SWEETEST and I loveeeeeee you <3
I LOVE YOU TOOOOOOO <3
(Also, may, if I -may- I AM DOING A PUUUUUUN watch me ruling the world??, I wanted to ask you. I loved the survey you made for your blog and wondered if I could take this idea from you and do my little own survey as well. I would love the feedback from bloggers as well? If you don’t mind obviously and I’ll credit you in my blog post! <3)
YAS THAT PUN! *pumps fist* And oh, Marie, you don’t have to ask me about that! Bloggers do surveys all the time. 😛 (PS I’ll definitely be filling yours out 😉 )
Awww thank you, May <3 <3
For me, if it’s they called themselves as book blogger and the blog contain book review post, I considered them as book blogger.
I had quite similar problems but on bookstagram.. I had certain expectation of what bookstagrammer means while some of my friend think what I am doing is cool enough
I guess everywhere we go, there are some kind of expectations, and then there is reality 🙂 I’m sure you are doing GREAT, don’t worry 😀 Thank you so much for your comment <3
Yes it is true. My pleasure ?
Love this post! I don’t think there’s actually rules for being a book blogger. For me, Book blogger is someone who talks about books and share their love for books. I mostly enjoy reading book review posts! When I visit others blogs, I mostly check out their book reviews.
Thank you so much, Raven! <3 I'm so happy you said this – I feel like people go to discussion posts way more often than to the book reviews, when visiting a new blog!
Great post Marie, and I really love your thoughts on this. In my opinion being a book blogger means nothing more to me than blogging about books. Everyone has a different way of doing that, some people probably do scream about books until their voice goes hoarse, I don’t though. In fact of your list the only ones I do is read a lot and write book reviews (though I am thinking about starting a Twitter account soon!)
When it comes down to it I’ve never thought too much about what makes people book bloggers. I guess simply because I’m firmly in the bookish community of WordPress I don’t see many other blogs and this hasn’t been a question I’ve needed to think about you know? I do think it’s great we don’t all fit into one box of what a book blogger is, makes it more interesting that way seeing what individual people post and come up with for their blogs! 😀 <3
Again great post Marie. 🙂
Oh thank you so, so much, Beth! <3 <3 I understand – I mostly follow book bloggers as well, but it's crazy how, despite all being bookish and passionate, we can all blog differently, in our own unique way, with our own blog posts and stuff. I love it, actually 🙂
Thank you!< 3 <3
That’s all right! <3 We're definitely all passionate, and there are so many different ways to blog even if we're all talking about the same books. I love it as well, and I'm so glad I started blogging.
That's all right! 😀 <3
I don’t think book reviews make a book blogger! A lot of reviews will have me bored, especially if there are a lot of reviews of books I haven’t read or am not interested in! I find tags fun to read and also posts that are just generally about books! I also occasionally post about my writing because it’s a passion of mine and I do what I want ?? I think if you are actively talking about books at least a little and active in the community you are a book blogger! I think it’s a lot less restrictive than people think it is, and once you get away from that box it’s a lot more fun!
YEES, I agree with you – it actually is less restrictive than I thought it would be, and I’m glad. I feel FREE ahah 🙂
I get it about the reviews. I read book reviews, but sometimes they aren’t about books I would be interested in reading, so I tend to read other blog posts, like bookish recommendations and discussions a bit more. And I LOVE to read about other people’s writing (so keep on doing that ahah) 🙂
Thank you so much, Esther! <3 <3
Yessss I am #agree! It’s so much more fun not worrying about the boundaries. And to be honest, book reviews aren’t even my favorite thing to write! If I was ONLY writing book reviews I would probably be bored out of my mind hahahah. Yay I love reading about other people’s writing too!! :***
Haha, yes I would be a bit bored too, I think. It’s good to write about different things, keeps blogging interesting for us 😀
Totally agree, If we all did the same thing on our blogs book or otherwise the internet would be a very dull place. As it is we all do this book blogging thing differently and hence a wonderful and diverse world. Its late and I am rambling 🙂
Well…THANK YOU for rambling ahah, you do make a lot of sense and I agree – it is so great that we all have our unique way of blogging 🙂
Funnily enough I was just musing about this on my blog today! I definitely do not fit the stereotypical definition of a “book blogger” by any stretch of the imagination – I don’t read YA, I’m old (most book bloggers seem to be in their teens or twenties), and I typically blog about books I’ve read and analyzed in my professional role as a children’s librarian. I don’t “ship” or use the trendy lingo, I don’t go to blogger conferences, I don’t have hundreds of subscribers. Am I a book blogger? Well, I write about books on a blog, so….I guess so? Thanks for bringing this up – I think it’s something a lot of us are thinking about!
Oh but there are so many book bloggers not blogging about YA books! I know a couple – but yes I have to admit YA books are still a massive part of the community, but that’s maybe because I am right in the middle of it. I’m sure there are tons of other bloggers reading other books 🙂
You definitely ARE a book blogger, because you’re blogging about books and you are passionate about it, it’s all that matters 😀
Thank you so much for your comment <3
Marie that Cap Barbossa gif is PERFECT for this post OMG. XD As for what book blogging means to me, I think it’s just enough for me to visit a blog and see that the primary focus is books for me to think ‘book blog’. It doesn’t have to have book reviews, it just has to primary post about books in general, in whatever way they wish, since that’s what will set each of us apart, the way we do things. We’re all in one big box, but we are also in our own little boxes so MUCH LOVE to all the boxes!
RIGHT?! It’s probably the one single time since I started blogging that I can actually think of the GIF BEFORE writing the blog post hahaha.
I’m with you on that – there can be book reviews, bookish discussions, just books in some way and it’s a book blog to me. I LOVE this idea of tiny little boxes, Pam! <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3 <3
LOL I CAN picture that. I mean GUIDELINES MORE THAN A CODE! You’re welcome! It’s always a joy to come by because your posts make me want to comment, and then you reply and it actually feels like a conversation!
Aww, thank you so, so much, Pam <3 It's always so great to talk with you <3
Love, love, love this post Marie!! I totally agree with your definition of the stereotypical book blogger and it’s almost sad that we limit ourselves to these standards or expectations! I definitely always have this feeling that if I label myself as a book blogger that I need to be reading, constantly ranting about books, and always being updated on the latest hypes/disliked authors. It’s seems almost as if we need to “fit in”, ya know? But honestly it’s about time I’ve realized that I’m definitely not receiving physical ARCs soon, I’m not going to create the best content, and not all bloggers are the same! But that’s okay bc I love what I do and that’s all that matters (: thank you for this wonderfully typed post!! ❤️❤️
Oh thank you so, SO much, Jess! <3 <3 I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one having these feelings and always wanting to try and fit in the best I can. We're all different, and we should keep on doing what we love, that what makes us great I guess 😀 <3 Thank you so much <3 <3
No problem, Marie!! Thank YOU for such an amazing post <3
aww <3 <3
What an intense and fascinating discussion post, my Sweechie! I used to have a certain view of book bloggers; they are posting reviews a lot, if not every day, they know all the classics, they are everywhere on social media and know the latest news about any author. I was in awe of some bloggers who seemed to juggle a real and full life with such a huge part of blogging. I used to believe the number of books you read mattered.
After a year and a half of blogging, my definition of a book blogger is this; a passionate and busy human being ready to share and have fun about anything bookish.
Ohh thank you so much <3 <3 I'm glad you felt the same way as I did, I feel less alone in this. I thought that the number of books we read mattered A LOT as well, I'm glad that doesn't seem to be true! 🙂
YES, definitely passionate and busy, that defines us well 😀 <3 Thank you my Sweechie! <3 <3 <3
I think people are book bloggers if they continuously talk about books in most of their posts. I don’t mind how they talk about their books whether it be through reviews or recommendations or lists! This was such a great discussion Marie and thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this, Anisha! <3 <3 <3
Anyone is a book blogger! Just some people are better at it! ?
No I’m kidding. I don’t even feel like one sometimes when I take so long in between posts some days…but I think it’s about the spirit of the blog, you know?
???
It definitely IS about the blog’s spirit – bookish and passionate, even if you take long between some blog posts, you’re bookish and passionate so that’s book blogging, 😛
Thank you <3 <3
Such an interesting post Marie! For me I was like you, I thought Book Bloggers had to set of rules, I thought I had to post all the time and scream about books and like certain books but since blogging I’m like ‘Ok actually I don’t’.
Usually I can tell if someone is a book blogger as soon as I click on their blog, of course it’s usually filled with tons of book related stuff from the title to a widget.
It was a great learning curve for me realising there are no set rules for blogging, it’s my space and I can write whatever I fancy 🙂
Same here. I used to feel – and sometimes still do – some kind of pressure about reading, liking and talking about some books. But we are allowed NOT to, or to hate the popular book everyone loves after all. That’s what makes it unique 🙂
Oh same here – It was and still is great to know that there are no set rules, except the ones we set ourselves, and we can do whatever we like with our own blog 🙂
Thank you so much, Hannah <3 <3
Thank you SO much for this post! I really needed to read this.
I’ve never seen myself as a “real” book blogger because I don’t have any traditional book reviews on my blog, but I still talk about books on it. It’s nice to know that some people don’t think you HAVE to have book reviews on your blog to be considered a book blogger.
Oh thank you SO much, Andrea, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post <3 If you talk about books for the most part, you are a book blogger to me that's for sure 😀 <3
Thanks! I’m glad you think so! 🙂
Also, I really, really love your posts, especially the ones that aren’t reviews (the reviews are great too, though!).
How long have you been blogging? Something seems to indicate 2014 (copyright thing on the About Page 😛 ).
OHh thank you, Andrea, that’s so sweet of you to say. I’m so happy <3 <3
Yes, since late 2014 now, almost 3 years of blogging 🙂
Wow, you’ve managed to do A LOT in 3 years! My blog wants to be just like yours when it grows up 😛
Oh wow that’s the best compliment ever, you’re WAY too sweet, thank you, Andrea! <3 <3 Also I'm sure you are and will be the GREATEST <3
You’re too kind! But thanks, it means a lot to hear you say that <3
Just saying the truth. You’re doing great already ❤❤❤
Thank you! ?
Great post! It makes me feel a bit better about my infrequent and strangely short book reviews I do. And honestly, I think the book blogs I find myself most drawn to are the ones that don’t do a lot of book reviews. Thank you for the rant it was needed!
Oh thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 You ARE a book blogger, if you are mainly talk about books on your blog, I think 🙂 and I get it, somedays I am drawn to blog posts that are not book reviews eithers 🙂
I used to think a real book blogger was posting EVERY DAY reading 7 BOOKS A WEEK with ALL THE TWITTER FOLLOWERS. I still kind of think that, tbh. Which is why I have my MANY blogging insecurities. Especially since I had to quit bookish Twitter because it makes me too angry. Like, even at people I agree with? Ugh. Anyway…
I guess I would define a book blog as a blog that is probably primarily concerned with books, but not entirely. I call myself a book blogger but I also really like to write about TV and movies sometimes.
THANK YOU for letting us be ourselves, Marie 🙂 x
I’m actually happy you said that thing about Twitter. I feel like I should have over 1,5 K on Twitter and scream about books there all the time to be actually considered as genuine over here. Also, some things make me mad. It’s great, but sometimes it’s maddening as well. If that makes any sense?! I’m sorry you had to quit bookish Twitter but I’m hoping it is for the best and that you’ll feel better noww <3
Also I am NOT reading 7 books a week at all and I can't post every single day ahah. I guess we should stop thinking this way even if sometimes, it's hard to.
Thank you so much for your sweet commetn <3 <3
I love that there’re so many ways to be a “book blogger!” When I first started I thought all bloggers had to only review super hyped/popular books, have a huge presence in the blogosphere including twitter and bookstagram, but it’s all kind of overwhelming.
I really like that there are so many book bloggers who all do things differently! It would be boring if we all followed a set of rules and were all the same.
Wonderful discussion!!
I thought the same way – I sometimes still do about the Twitter and Bookstagram parts of it all ahah, it is so overwhelming, and…if we’re being honest, there is just so much to do even with just one blog, I guess no one can do it all or has to 🙂
I’m with you on that – it’s great to read different reviews, talk about different books and overall BE different, it is never boring this way 😀
Thank you SO much <3 <3
Honestly for me book blogging does not work the same way as a movie review. Because books are so personal and the most important factor about books is the same as that of another person. “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.” And also the timing of the book is important and when you are reading and if you have read something similar before. Which is why I never go out of my way to find book bloggers. However, all by accident/destiny i stumbled upon Drek Sivers book blog and that changed my life. As he writes down the important factors of the book and lets you be the judge of it. And it has helped me “read” way more books without spending too much time reading the entire books.
Oh yes, I agree with you – the timing is so important when reading a book. One book can have a really big emotional impact when you’re in a particular mood, while some other day it just would be an “okay” read 🙂
Thank you for stopping by 🙂
I can only agree !!! I recently changed my blog tagline to “books & lifestyle” blogger because I kind of felt like I was stuck in a box and couldn’t blog about style, well-being, travels or organization because I am “curlingBOOKS” and people would expect me to blog about books only. But then I was like : “hey, this is my blog I can do whatever the f*** i want with it as long as it doesn’t harm anybody” ! To me, a book blogger can be many many things as long as they enjoy blogging about books, whether it’s an exclusive or multi-content blog
Yay, that’s so great – I’m glad you feel more “free” with your new blog name now 🙂 You’re right, we should be able to do whatever we want with our blog for sure 😀 <3 Thank you so much for your sweet comment!
Thank you so much for this post! I feel like it came at a perfect time for me, because recently I’ve been struggling with some of the same insecurities. I only began my blog a couple of months ago, and I decided to blog about historical fiction because it’s the genre I’m most passionate about. But most of the really successful bloggers I see tend to review YA, so I worry that I’m putting myself at a disadvantage, or not as much of a book blogger because I don’t review that often. This post has given me the confidence to keep at it, though, and stick with what I’m passionate about, so thank you <3
Ohh you’re so welcome, this makes me so happy <3 There seem to be a ton of YA book bloggers for sure, but I'm also certain there are other book bloggers that you'll get along with great and you'll share recommendations with them and everything else. As long as you are passionate with what you write about, keep on going! <3
Interesting post! Personally when I visit a blog and 1) it has a bookish sounding blog title and 2) most of their content is about books (book haul, tag, review) then I classify them as a book blogger. Of course this doesn’t define what genre they prefer or the audience they cater too. I guess there are sub-categories within the big umbrella category that is “book blog!”
Also, I never really thought much about there being certain things I must publish in order to be in the “book blogger club.” One day I simply decided to immerse myself further in the bookish community and just jumped right into making a blog so I didn’t give any thoughts for how my first post should look like or what it should say or anything! It wasn’t until a month or so later after discovering more book blogs that I figured I should put more effort into the appearance of my blog, do some weekly memes to get traffic, and interact with other bloggers.
With that said though, I do think there are criteria for being considered a popular/big book blogger. Like getting arcs and having a big following and all of that jazz. But simply identifying as a book blogger – I think it’s up to that specific blogger to create their own rules.
Thank you so much for your comment, Bridget! <3 I guess we all are jumping it without really knowing what awaits us here. Then try to fit in. Only to realize that, well…we should also be ourselves and do / write what we are passionate about 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts <3 <3
I think you’re a book blogger…a really good one in fact ? I tend to only read book reviews of books I’m interested in or would be interested in or have read before (i like to know other ppl’s opinions); I love your book posts on other subjects too they’re fun to read, esp being a traveler myself ?
On that note…I might not consider myself a REAL book blogger coz, I’m not 100% into hyped books, can’t read books fast enough and I barely blog ? so I think of myself as someone who just blogs about books (Coz I love it).
Once again good post!!!
Aww thank you so much, I’m so glad you like my blog posts <3 I get it about book reviews, I'm doing the same thing. I tend to read reviews of books I'd be interested in reading as well 🙂
YOU ARE a book blogger if you're someone blogging about books! Even if you're not on the hype train or blogging too often, you still are a book blogger 😀
Awwwww thanks for that!!!! ?
Gosh, I thought a lot of the same things as you. I used to beat myself up so much if I didn’t read all the time or have at least 2 book reviews a week. Now I’m lucky if I get ONE review or ONE book read a month hahahah. I don’t think theres a box that we can all fit in. It’s more of being in the community. We like books. We like reading. But we also like having people to talk to about books, or fandoms, or just life in general. I think that’s what matters for being a “book” blogger. If that makes sense lol
Oh yes it does make a lot of sense, actually. It’s really that, being part of a community, loving books, that matters. The rest is just numbers and it’s okay if we don’t reach them all or read as much or anything else. As long as we are passionate and everything 🙂 Thank you so much, Molly! <3 <3
This is a very interesting topic, Marie! I don’t think there are “rules” to being a book blogger. Not getting ARCs or doing book tours, etc. doesn’t make you any less of a book blogger than the people who do. Personally, I consider anyone who blogs about books say 80% of the time to be a book blogger.
Oh thank you so much, Lauren, glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 I’m with you on that, whenever I see the blogger talking A LOT about books, it is a book blogger for me 🙂
I started book blogging when I was in high school, after 5-6 years I got pretty burned out on the whole “scene”. I thought, like you, that I had to be BLOGGING ALL THE TIME (REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS). Now I take it more chill, different responsibilities, and am not that worried about illustrious ARCs (they only add unto the pressure). I never do book tours (stressful), or read-a-tons (no time) but I still want to contribute unto the book blogging world and give love to authors 🙂 Great post.
Oh thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this post. It takes a bit of time to get accustomed to it and to realize that we don’t have to do things. We can just blog our own way, give out some love without having to read ALL the time, ARCs and everything else 🙂 Thank you! <3
You read books, enjoy them, and blog. Those three rules offer the lone requirements. Anything else is just fodder. Once you put people into a box, enjoyment fizzles. Why bother?
YES you’re right about that 😀
Thank you for your comment! <3
I think this all ties back into the whole expectations vs. reality situation. When I started my blog, I had all these expectations about blogging, much like how you defined a book blogger. After blogging for just short of a year and a half, I now have different views about blogging in general. No matter what type of blogger you are, blogging is so much harder than I expected! I thought it was going to be super easy to pump out thoughtful & meaningful reviews, write amazing discussions that engage readers, blog hop and write long comments on everyone’s posts, etc. etc. Personally, I think what makes someone a book blogger is if they talk about books in the majority of their posts… I don’t think book reviews are necessary either. I’ve seen lots of great book bloggers who recap their feeling of a book in wrap-up or haul posts, and never actually write book reviews! I never participate in readathons (no time with small humans to care for) & am not active on social media (who has the time with reading & blogging?!). I’ve seen book bloggers who read 250+ books a year, and those who read 20 books a year…. I think the most important thing here is that reading is getting done, not the amount of books read 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment, Amanda! <3 Also, I'm glad to hear you saw book bloggers never actually writing long reviews. I felt like it was a requirement, but I see more and more bloggers with…well, less and less reviews ahah.
RIGHT?? I do not know or understand how some people can blog and be so active on social media, while reading and blogging. It is crazy ?
Thank you so much! You're right, what matters is that we love the books 😀
You’re so introspective Marie! I love that ❤️♥️ I love your blogging posts too!
Books being the focus seems to me to be the only requirement… I used to focus on a bunch of mediums and had my blog divided that way. I never had any followers, not because I wasn’t writing good content but because it confuses book and movie lovers who normally stick to one or the other… once I changed my focus to books I could bring in my other loves and still be accepted in the book blogging world, so now I have followers!
Because I do have varied interests though my post volume seems to get tiresome to some readers… it’s something I just accept at this point. I wish everyone was as open to those who are different as you are… there is a huge call for people to be accepting on a racial and sexual level but the same is not true for people who are the same but different. The amount of ostrazization that happens is the same it’s just transferred to different kinds of people…
Oh thank you so, so much, Dani! <3 <3 It is true that it's harder to find our kind of people when you're focusing on different things than books, but there are many bloggers doing bunch of different things, just turning this into a lifestyle kind of blog, for instance, and it works for them 🙂
YES! I believe blogging is whatever you make it, and it can be different for each individual. Great post!
Thank you so much! 🙂
hehehe yes there is definitely not enough space inside a box for both a book blogger and their books! hehehe yeahhh I can’t really keep to the rules. Firstly, when I get lousy at blogging, my twitter is the first thing to get neglected (whoops!) and forget about me finding anything dramatic on there, I’ve never been any good at following a thread, let alone getting down with some of the chats 😉 I only recently started even going for eARCs, forget physical ones 😉 And as for readthons, I’ve never tried them either, and don’t see it happening either (too many challenges! too much pressure!) I agree so much that there is no blogging rules and that no one can fit into a box- even if everyone write my own rules, I just know I could never keep to them all, especially not all the time. Anyhoo this was an awesome post and I relate so much!!
Right? I see so many awesome readathons happening but there is too much pressure haha, this is not for me. Well, never say never 🙂
Thank you so, so much, I’m so glad you liked this post! <3 <3
Haha I know right!! You’re welcome ❤❤
Great thoughts! In my mind, a book blogger is literally a person who write blog posts about books. Even though I generally just do book reviews on my blog (pagesforthoughts.blogspot.com) and not discussions like what you are doing, I do consider myself a book blogger. It is a hobby, not my job since I am still a student, but I do LOVE reading! yes, I only have 17 followers on my blog and 303 books on goodreads, but I am still proud of what I have done. I encourage everyone to not be afraid to express what they think or what they are interested in! At school, if I say to almost anybody besides a teacher, people laugh. Not many of my peers really like reading as much as I do, but that is OKAY! I have discovered that there is another world of people out there!
You ARE a book blogger of course, if you’re talking about books and reviewing them on your blog 🙂 Also, you should be proud of your blog and everything, it takes time and passion to write content and to put yourself out there <3 Yes, there is a whole community of book lovers here, so you can feel right at home 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Fantastic post, Marie ♥ I literally know NOTHING about the book community when I first started so I had a lot of similar expectations to the ones you did. I thought that all book blogging entailed was reviews and that you wouldn’t really be taken seriously if you weren’t one that got ALL the ARCs. I also thought that ARCs only went to super famous bloggers and that you’d need 1000s of followers to even be considered, haha. I’ve definitely learnt A LOT since then and now I think the only thing that matters is being yourself? There’s no such thing as a “real” book blogger imo!!! I prefer people who have some personality in their posts but even if people just wanna post reviews and cover reveals ect. they’re still a book blogger!! And things like stats definitely don’t matter. Whether you have 1 follower or 100 you’re still important and valid!!!
Oh thank you so much, Lauren! <3 <3 I agree with you, it's so much more important to be yourself, really, it's what matters the most. I love personality and just getting to know the blogger behind the blog, hearing their voice, their thoughts about books and everything. It doesn't matter if they have 1 or 10 000 followers 🙂 <3
Thank you so much, Lauren <3
This was an interesting post! Personally, I see a book blogger as someone who writes about books more often than anything else. It’s totally okay if they write about other topics of course, but if the majority of their posts are book-related, then I see them as a book blogger. I don’t necessarily think labels are needed though, because it can seem really restricting. For example, book bloggers may feel as if they can only write about books, or beauty bloggers may think they can only write about beauty/skincare products.
Oh thank you so much, Tia! I agree with you – labels aren’t needed, we aren’t supposed to not talk about other things. It’s okay if we want to talk about travel or food or something, once in a while, doesn’t make us any less of a book blogger. We can be whatever we want 🙂
Thank you! <3
I so enjoyed reading this, Marie. Your list of what you thought book bloggers had to do is quite interesting.
To be honest, I never considered the idea of a definition for book bloggers before this post. I suppose if one reads a lot and blogs about books they would be considered a book blogger.
OH thank you so much, I’m glad you liked this post 🙂 <3
You’re welcome 🙂
This is such an amazing post! When I started my blog it was something to focus on, to keep my mind busy and happy during a very terrible time in my life. In that aspect, I never really played by any rules. Am I happy when I get views and readers… absolutely! I am a blogger, and after all the time and effort that goes into my posts, it’s nice when other people like them too and want to talk to me about them. And having readers makes me want to add even more content to my blog in the hopes that they will love it as much as I do.
Am I a book blogger? Technically, I guess so… I’d like to think of myself more as a ‘Passion Blogger”. I blog about what I am passionate about. Mostly, that is books, both for myself and for my daughter, so I guess I fall under that book blogger category. But I also post about TV, Movies, Music, Food and Flowers. They are all things I love to talk about, and share with people so they all make an appearance on the blog, even if only every now and then.
And I would love to monetize my blog! It takes a lot of work to create content, and as a Stay at Home mum, it would be fantastic! And honestly, anything earned would probably be put back into making the blog better! I definitely don’t think that is something bloggers should be looked down on for these days. As long as you are doing it because you love it, and not just for the money, I say go for it. Why not make a little something while doing the thing you love.
Oh thank you so, so much for your sweet comment, it means the world to me. <3 I think it's so important to blog what you are passionate about, it's what makes the blog you, and it shows in your writing for sure 🙂 <3
I agree with you, I think that monetizing our blog shouldn't be seen as wrong – it seems to be this way in the book blogging world, but not in other lifestyle blogs somehow? Anyway, I agree with you, as long as we're passionate about it and not in for the money 🙂
Thank you so much <3
Great post Marie! When I first started out with my blog, I definitely had a pretty similar checklist in my head as the one you had. And maybe sometimes I still do. Some days I still don’t consider myself a real book blogger because I don’t get ARCs or don’t have enough followers or I’m not up to date with the latest Twitter drama or because I don’t have enough posts or reviews or whatever.
But in the end, all that matters is sharing the love of books. In whatever way, in whatever frequency, to whatever the amount of followers. I think if you love books, and you share that love through a blog, tadaa, you’re a book blogger 😀
Also, I don’t think there should be any shame in wanting to monetize your blog. In fact, it would be amazing! And as long as you stay true to your passion of books, what would the harm be in being able to make money by pursuing your passion?
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and agree with what I wrote here. <3 I agree, as long as we share our book love, we are book bloggers!
Thank you <3 There is just such a taboo around book blogging and money, I am not sure why. As long as everything you write isn't biaised, I think it's perfectly okay to try and make money with our passion 🙂
MARIE I LOVE THIS POST. A while ago I was seriously having a crisis and wondering if I even still was a book blogger, because I wasn’t blogging much about books anymore and I didn’t know if inspiration for book related posts would ever strike again, not to mention I was in a huge reading slump so reviews were a no-no as well. Thankfully inspiration struck again, but I still sometimes wonder ‘if I don’t post anything related to books this week, or not enough, will I still be a book blogger?’ So I definitely needed this post, thank you 🙂
OH THANK YOU Michelle! <3 <3 I am so happy you found this post useful. You're definitely a book blogger, but you're allowed to post something else if you feel like it – we are all trying to figure out what we want to talk about, be and do, both in life and in blogging after all 🙂 Thank YOU for your sweet comment <3 <3
I don’t think anyone enjoys writing or reading reviews that much 😀 it’s more of a… requirement for a blog to have those, because we must write them, but it’s not like we really want to 😀 it’s weird that way. But you are right, my understanding of reviews changed after a year of blogging. And of what a blogger is.
O actually do enjoy Twitter though! A lot. But that’s cause I stay out of the crazy drama circles. Not my thing. There’s loads of book Twitter beyond that!
And I’ve tried monetizing, but lol. Options for internationals are kind of shit. I’m pretty sure something would come of it if I could be an Amazon affiliate. But I’m not allowed to. Other affiliates kind of don’t work, and when I ask truly seasoned and popular book bloggers if they get any revenue from ad space, the ridiculous sums they quote don’t make me want to make my blog look uglier 😀 but I think of monetization in terms of “all these books I didn’t have to buy! Cause ARCs!” So there’s that 🙂
It definitely feels like a requirement, but I have to say, I do LOVE reading some people’s reviews, too 🙂
OH TELL ME ALL OF YOUR SECRETS. I seem to have all the dramas on my timeline ahha, it is so tiring sometimes.
I… did not know it wasn’t possible to be an amazon affilate when you were international? I learned something here ahah THANK YOU. I understand you thoughts – I think that monetizing is so hard, especially for a book blogger, and definitely not worth making your blog look uglier ahah 🙂
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment xxx
Yeah, at least for American Amazon, you can only be an affiliate if you have an American address. Totally sucks! I wonder how it would be for Amazon UK, but I don’t buy from that one myself, so I don’t even have an account. Didn’t bother finding out. My country doesn’t have its own Amazon, and even if it did, it’s too little people to even bother blogging for 😀
Oh okay, I did not know that! You’re right – It’s not worth all the trouble to try and become an affiliate or something ahah 🙂
Honestly I’m scared to become a book blogger because I have that checklist as well in my head. I mean it’s true that you can do what you want but it always intimidated me but I do like it when bloggers have personality and are passionate about what they like to do. But being a book blogger is simply talking about books in blogs which I feel like I might be able to do that.
I feel you – it really seems intimidating, at first, when you see all the book bloggers around. I was terrified, too. Yet, there’s something you should know, it’s that you are unique and have your own voice and way to share your thoughts on books and that’s what matters the most 🙂
Granted, I’ve only just started a book blog, but I didn’t necessarily think of it as book blogging rules, exactly, more like advice. I love books, and I just wanted to talk about book things… but I’m not a great writer, my spelling /grammar / vocab are…not that great… and I never had a blog that I had more then one post for… so I’ve been really unsure of myself and my book blog idea, and sometimes feel a little lost. Like I said… not really looking for rules, but just some sort of advice or guidelines or even examples to find inspiration from. I’m so new to it, that I don’t even have an idea of what kind of “rules” would even be there anyways! I think a book blogger is anyone who is has a blog that is mostly about books. You can be a “bad” blogger or a “good” blogger, or doing it the “right” way or the “wrong” way, but as long as the majority of it is about books, I would assume you are a book blogger. If you have a few other posts here and there about other things you do, that’s fine, but I would think if you have a lot of non-book stuff going, it would be a life style blogger?
You’re so right about this – anyone talking about book is a book blogger and there is no right, or wrong about that. As long as you are chatting about book and really passionate about it, that’s all that matters 😀
I hope that you will have tons of fun book blogging, welcome to the community!! 😀
Thank you :3
You’re so welcome! 🙂